Surgical valve



Aug. 7, 1962 w. P. MURPHY, JR 3,048,192

SURGICAL VALVE Filed Aug. 14. 1957 1 FIG.8

INVENTUR WILLIAM P. MURPHY, JR

A TTORNE Y5 3,048,192 SURGICAL VALVE William P. Murphy, Jr., Miami, Fla., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, of one-halfto Cordis Corporation, Miami, Fla., and one-half to Don Baxter, Inc.,

Glendale, Califi, a corporation of Nevada Filed Aug. 14, 1957, Ser. No. 678,163 6 Claims. (Cl. 137--625.42)

While the subject matter of this invention may be used for various purposes it is particularly adapted for use as a surgical valve. Heretofore valves of this kind have been made of metal and are high in cost. They are cleaned and sterilized after use and inasmuch as the openings in them are small they frequently become clogged with dried blood which is very hard to remove. Some times they do not get properly cleaned so that when again put in use they are hard tooperate and may cause severe pyrogenic reactions inthe patients.

Objects of the invention are to provide a valve which is simple in construction and convenient in use, which is light and compact, which does not require a sealing ring for fluid tightness, which may be made by a simple injection molding process and can be sterilized in large batches at the time of manufacture and which is so inexpensive that it is economical to discard, it after use, thereby avoiding the difficulty and danger of cleaning and sterilizing for reuse.

According to the present invention the valve comprises a body having a socket in one side, usually the top side,

and two or more ducts leading from the socket to the periphery of the body, and a plug rotatably fitted in the socket with a passageway interconnecting a plurality of the ducts in at least one angular position of the plug. One feature of the invention consists in that the passageway is in the form of a groove on the inner end of the plug, instead of a hole extending through the plug, whereby the plug may be easily molded from'plastic material. Another feature consists in that the plug is formed of resilient material and has a diameter slightly greater than the socket so as to be compresesd when inserted into the socket, thereby forming a fluid tight seal without a sealing ring. In a more specific aspect of the invention the socket tapers from its mouth to a circumferential zone adjacent the aforesaid ducts and the diameter of the resilient plug is slightly greater than that of the socket at this zone so as to form a seal with minimum friction. Still another characteristic feature consists in that the body has a flange at its mouth and the plug has an opposed flange engaging under the body flange, the plug being sufliciently resilient so that its flange may be snapped over the body flange.

For the purpose of illustration typical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section like FIG. 4 showing the valve in a different position;

FIG. 6 is a section like FIG. 4 showing a modification; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are sections like FIG. 6 showing the valve in different positions.

The particular embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises a body 1 having a socket 2 and ducts 3, 4 and 5 leading from the socket to the periphery of the body 90 apart. Fitting into the socket 2 is a plug 6 having a passageway 7 extending therethrough with two branches 8 and spaced 90 apart and from the pas- 3,048,192 Patented Aug. 7, 1952 ice sageway 7 as shown in FIG. 4. The body 1 has an outturned flange \11 extending around its mouth and the plug 6 has an inturned flange 12 hooking under the flange 11 to hold the plug on the body while permitting rotation of the plug in the socket. The plug also has a handle 13 which extends alongside the body with a protuberance 14 which snaps into any one of three recesses 15 on the periphery of the body yieldingly to hold the plug in its different operative positions.

As shown in FIG. 3 the socket 2 tapers inwardly from its mouth to a circumferential zone 16 adjacent the aforesaid ducts, the plug being formed of resilient material with a diameter slightly greater than that of the socket at the aforesaid zone so as to be compressed when inserted into the socket, thereby forming a fluid-tight seal without a sealing ring. -By making the plug of material having sufficient resiliency, the flange 12 may be snapped over the flange 11. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the passageways 7, 8 and 9 are in the form of grooves on the inner end of the plug, instead of passing through the plug, thereby facilitating the molding of the plug from plastic material. While various materials may be employed I prefer to use a low density polyethylene.

The modification shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 is like that shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 except that the valve has an additional duct 17 and the branches 18 and 19 of the passageway 7 are disposed on opposite sides of the passageway 7 instead of on the same side. A typical use of the valve is for blood transfusion. For this purpose the duct 3 is connected to a blood vessel of the patient through a tube and needle, the duct 4 is conneoted to a bottle of blood and duct "5 is connected to a syringe. With the valve in the position shown in FIG. 5 the valve is cleared of air by drawing blood from the bottle. Then with the valve in the position shown in FIG. 4 the blood is injectedinto the patient.

The modified valve shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 is partic ularly adapted for exchange transfusions as for example replacing blood in an infant. For this purpose the valve is first placed in the position shown in FIG. 7 to permit it to be cleared of air by drawing blood from the bottle. Then with the valve in the position shown in FIG. 6 blood is drawn from the patient. The valve is then moved to the position shown in FIG. 8 and the blood is discharged into a suitable receptacle. Then the valve is returned to the position shown in FIG. 7 to draw blood from the bottle, after which the valve is moved to the position shown in FIG. 6 to inject the'blood into the patient.

. It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A valve comprising a body having a socket in one side and ducts leading from the periphery of the socket to the periphery of the body, and a plug rotatably fitted in the socket with a passageway interconnecting a plurality of said ducts in one angular position of the plug, said socket having a tapered portion tapering from its mouth to a generally cylindrical circumferential zone adjacent said ducts and the plug being formed of resilient material with a diameter slightly greater than that of the socket at said zone and a diameter smaller than that of the tapered portion of the socket so as to form a seal with minimum friction and without a sealing ring.

2. A valve comprising a body having a socket in one side and ducts leading from the periphery of the socket to the periphery of the body, and a plug rotatably fitted in the socket with a passageway interconnecting a plurality of said ducts in one angular position of the plug, the socket having a tapered portion tapering from its mouth to a generally cylindrical circumferential zone adjacent "said dncts andthe plug formed oflres'ilient material wjitli l zone andia diameter smaller than the said apererlfp'o resilient/so that it may be snappeduoyerthe JBQdysflange,

side and ducts" leadingfrom theS CKet to'Etlie' 156 41 I of the body; a plug rotatablyfitted in the ssqcketxwith at its mouth and the plug having; a flange engaging under I y Y A, the body flange, the plug being formedgof resilient mate loi'said duets requires i only: 9W p g 'otationgz an extent a diameter slightly reaemnan that of the soe'ket latnsai dj tion of the socket, soas to form a-sealwitnrninimd I friction and without a sealing ring andlsaid lsodyj hayin a flange atits mouth andftheiplng has' z inopposed flange engaging under the body flange, the plug flange; bei

a e; rable wi h'i the"dutsqleadin tliroughfsaicL ally"opg-osed, pr ojeotionsfand ha ng alsoaryje oOves, extending 9G apart from said diamet l'calggl eye, and teach 114L45 i amzularity relative to the s'dia'rn'etricaljgtoove so that re-gisterability ef*said radieal roov sFintwofpositionsswithfcircularly silocessive'pairs 3. Asyalve comprising a body 'having a'soel passageway interconnecting a. plurality bf said ducts; one angular position of the plug, said body havingaflange l rial so that its flange maybe snapped intoengagernent --0fthe plug opposite'said ducts havingadiameterslightly,

I with the body flange, and an integral handle ofres ilient greateethan the socket Wallcontainingrtheducts so as to material on said plug, having 'a first portion jeiitendingY2,"Ibe eomprejssed whn seatedintouthesoclset to forrnafiuid,

, outwardly of the plug flange, a second Portionextending ,tig'lit seal peripheryend 'thebody having a peripheral; rowfofw re ftw inga top portion -frorn, Whiehdependsh peripheral pore portion, the plug being formed of resilient mater flange on said body, the tapered,top'sutfaceQithebody-- y fiangegbeing" spaced from innersnrfacesfpf the top an peripheralportions th the body vand"plugs,

generally 'atright angles to; the first portion and spaced 20 f, 16, A'gvalveiaoconding, to elaim fi eornprising also inter I 1 from-said bodyand a third portion extending toward said i engageablels detenting means molded integrally with the' body generally parallel-vvith the first-portionand'at right bodyand plug and;operabletoreleasablyrholdthe 'plug in a angles to the second portion, saidithird portion'having ani either of said ositiojns, said detenting meansxcompi ising inwardly directed protuberance yieldingly'bearing onsaid a handle=-tl1s "body circularly "be cesses into'which the'protilberanet snaps in thevariofis positions of the valyerespectiyely q, 4. A 'valve comprisingalhodyxh aving asoeket'inone side and dnctstleading from thesocket to thelperipliery of-the body, @a plug rotatably fitted in, the socket" witha passageway interconnecting a I plurality of said ducts in one angular position of the plug, said body havingan' out wardly zextendingsflangeiat its month yzithf e top sur faee whieh tapers outwardly and downwardly; said-plugh avi-"x s am; (1935 c May 26,11936 I tion with an inwardly directed flange spaced from jtli Apr-. 29, 1-9" Sept;3 1958;

that its flangernay be; snapped into enga em mun 7:

Feb, 1 0, 195 a a; th 

